Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology
Queensland
TOP PRIORITY FOR IMMEDIATE BROADCAST
Severe Weather Warning
for Heavy Rainfall
for parts of Channel Country Forecast District.
Issued at 4:16 pm Tuesday, 17 March 2026.
Heavy rainfall developing about the southern Channel Country.
Weather Situation
A rich tropical airmass extends over the centre of the country with a surface trough extending into the far southwest of the state. Meanwhile an upper trough is moving across South Australia. This combination will lead to the development of heavy rainfall in the far southwest of the state from this afternoon into Wednesday.
HEAVY RAINFALL for the following areas:
Channel Country
HEAVY RAINFALL which may lead to FLASH FLOODING is forecast for southern parts of the Channel Country district from this evening. Six-hourly rainfall totals between 50 and 80 mm are likely.
Conditions are expected to ease below warning thresholds by late Wednesday.
Flood Watches and Warnings are current for the area. Please refer to https://www.bom.gov.au/weather-and-climate/warnings-and-alerts/ for more information.
Locations which may be affected include Birdsville, Ballera, Orientos, Mt Howitt Station, Morney and Nappa Merrie.
Emergency services advise people to:
* Park your car undercover away from trees.
* Close doors and windows.
* Keep asthma medications close by. Storms and wind can trigger asthma attacks.
* Charge mobile phones and power banks in case the power goes out.
* Put your pets somewhere safe and make sure they can be identified in case they get lost.
* Do not drive now unless you have to because conditions are dangerous.
* Tell friends, family and neighbours in the area.
* Go inside a strong building now. Stay inside until the storm has passed.
The next Severe Weather Warning will be issued by 11:00 pm AEST Tuesday.
Check https://www.bom.gov.au/weather-and-climate/warnings-and-alerts. Warnings are also available through TV and Radio broadcasts or call 1300 659 210. The Bureau and emergency services would appreciate warnings being broadcast regularly.
Forecast
Birdsville (25.8984°S, 139.3516°E, 46m AMSL) set as my default location ›
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7 day forecast
Today: Cloudy. Very high chance of rain near the New South Wales border, high chance elsewhere. The chance of a thunderstorm in the morning and afternoon, possibly severe with heavy rain which may lead to flash flooding. Winds N/NE 25 to 35 km/h shifting S/SW 20 to 30 km/h in the early afternoon. Overnight temperatures falling to the low to mid 20s with daytime temperatures reaching 28 to 35.
Forecast for Birdsville (25.8984°S, 139.3516°E, 46m AMSL) Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Summary
Minimum 23° 23° 23° 23° 23° 22° 22° Maximum 30° 32° 34° 34° 34° 35° 35° Chance of rain 60% 5% 20% 5% 5% 5% 5% Likely amount 1-5mm < 1mm < 1mm < 1mm < 1mm < 1mm < 1mm UV index Extreme Extreme Extreme Extreme Extreme Extreme Extreme Fire Danger Rating Moderate Moderate No Rating Moderate - - - Frost risk Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil 9am 3pm 9am 3pm 9am 3pm 9am 3pm 9am 3pm 9am 3pm 9am 3pm Wind speed 16
(km/h)20
(km/h)16
(km/h)16
(km/h)21
(km/h)18
(km/h)26
(km/h)27
(km/h)29
(km/h)29
(km/h)26
(km/h)23
(km/h)25
(km/h)22
(km/h)Wind direction WNW WSW S S SE SE SE SSE SE SSE SE SSE SE SSE Relative humidity 92% 69% 83% 54% 73% 45% 68% 45% 66% 41% 60% 33% 58% 33% Dew point 24°C 23°C 22°C 21°C 22°C 20°C 20°C 20°C 20°C 19°C 18°C 16°C 17°C 16°C -
Sunrise and sunset times
Sunrise / Sunset for Birdsville (25.8984°S, 139.3516°E, 46m AMSL) First light Sunrise Sunset Last light Moon rise Moon set Moon phase New moon First quarter Full moon Last quarter 6:22am EST 6:45am EST 6:57pm EST 7:20pm EST 5:39am EST 6:23pm EST
Waning crescent
New moon Mar 19 First quarter Mar 26 Full moon Apr 02 Last quarter Apr 10 -
Warnings
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Temperature for next 7 days
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Rain for next 7 days